Pressure mounting on Rams sophomores to reverse draft-class disappointment

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has made a habit of landing multiple gems in his recent drafts.

2022 brought in Cobie Durant, Kyren Williams, and Quentin Lake. The 2023 class was generational: Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Warren McClendon and, of course, Puka Nacua. In 2024, the Rams snagged Jared Verse, Kam Kinchens, Blake Corum, and Braden Fiske. 

Nearly every one of those picks turned into a quality starter - in some cases, a superstar.

It's too early to tell, but thus far the 2025 Rams draft class does not look like Snead's best work. One member, linebacker Chris Paul, was a preseason cut. Second-round tight end Terrance Ferguson was the best rookie of the bunch, and he was underwhelming.

The others: defensive end Josaiah Stewart, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, running back Jarquez Hunter, and receiver Konata Mumpfield. As OTAs continue and summer camp looms, pressure is only growing for these Horns sophomores to give the team something from last year's draft.

Rams' 2025 draft class bears burden to succeed this season

Ferguson, the No. 46 pick in 2025, has the highest upside. He is also under the most pressure. As a rookie, the Oregon product caught only 11 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. That's not nothing, but it's not much. It's certainly less than Rams fans hoped for after some initial excitement around the pick. 

Now, Ferguson will have to fend off 2026 rookie Max Klare just to keep his place in the pecking order. 

Stewart, a third-rounder out of Michigan, actually flashed some rotational upside. He played all 17 games, logged nearly 400 snaps, and came up with three sacks. None of that jumps off the page, of course. It's a solid start to Stewart's career. The Rams would like to see a bit more from him in Year 2, and he'll have to give them that in order to remain relevant in the organization.

Hamilton's roster spot could already be in jeopardy. In training camp, he'll have to beat out rookie seventh-rounder Tim Keenan III. While that might seem easy enough, Hamilton hasn't earned the right to take anything for granted.

In 14 games last season, he saw only 138 snaps and earned a ghastly 29.9 Pro Football Focus grade. It's not too early to call 2026 a make-or-break campaign for the Ohio State alum.

It's easy to forget that the Rams even drafted Hunter. The fourth-round pick barely saw the field. When he did, it was on special teams. With Corum's emergence last season, Hunter's chances for action are slim. Don't count on him redeeming the class of '25.

And then there's Mumpfield. There remains some tentative intrigue around the 242nd overall selection. Given his draft stock, getting anything at all out of Mumpfield as a rookie was, well, something.

In terms of real pressure, he and Ferguson may be the class members under the most in the coming season, based on positional need (Mumpfield at wide receiver) and draft stock (Ferguson). Mumpfield will want to prove himself worthy of a bigger role, but 2026 sixth-rounder CJ Daniels could have something to say about that. 

It might seem silly to expect much of anything out of multiple mid-to-late-round picks, but that is the standard Snead has set. Of the above names in the 2022-24 draft years, only Verse, Fiske, and Avila were top 75 selections. Five weren't even in the top 100. 

In fairness, the Rams only had six picks to work with last year (and only five this year). If anything, that only shines a brighter spotlight on the draftees. Lest the 2025 class go down as a complete bust, multiple members will face pressure to step up in their sophomore seasons. 

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